Degerming maize or indian corn.



PATENTED JAN. 28. 1908.

J. F. GENT. DEGBRMING MAIZE 0R INDIAN CORN.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17.1907.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

JOSEPH FRANKLIN GENT, OF TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF OF BARNSTABLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

TO THOMAS T. GAFF,

Two-Turnus DEGERMING MAIZE OR INDIAN CORN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 28, 1908.

Applicationfilerl Tune I7, 1907. Serial No. 379.378.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH FRANKLIN GENT, of Terre Haute, county of Vigo, State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Degerming Maize or Corn, of which the following is a specification. p In Letters Patent No. 7 07,058, granted to Thomas T. Graff and myself on August l2, 1902, is described a process of degerming maize consisting essentially in preliminarily moistening the grain, thus moistened grain while moving in continuous flow to a succession of breaking or splitting operations., carrying off, as they form, from the still unreduced portions of the charge, such fragments of grain as may before their removal, `of a large percentage of these fragments7 be reduced to proper form along with corresponding bits of germ and other bodies, and finally separating and carrying off the thusbroken starch bearing fragments from the germs and other lighter bodies.

My resent invention, which follows the genera lines of said patented process, has to do particularly with the breaking or splitting operation; and its characteristic is that the operation, which is al breaking or splitting operation as contradistinguished from a grinding or crushing one, takes place under a compression, and consequent concentration, of the charge, which gradually increases with the progress of the traveling charge, whereby the weakest grains are broken first, the next weakest next, and so on.

It is desirable that the kernels should be broken lengthwise through the middle line.

.This is the weakest line in the grain, and the natural line of cleavage. And when the grain is thus broken the germ is exposed in condition most favorable for its removal. Indeed the agitation and friction to which the fragments of the previously moistened grain are subjected after the breaking and will suffice in the case both to hull them and to detach the germs as well.

I have discovered that grains of corn in bulk will break lengthwise through the middle of the grain at a pressure of say from four pounds or thereabouts per square inch for the weakest grains to say twenty four pounds or thereabouts for the most resistant grains (excepting of course those grains which are practically unbreakable at any l est grains will be pressures used in the processof which there is always a certain small percentage in the charge). Some will break at a pressure of four pounds per square inch, others at six others at eight pounds and so oriup to the maximum pressure required for lengthwise breaking of the most resistant portion of the charge. By graduating the pressure, therefore, the charge, while in continuous fiow, may be subjected to a breaking then subjecting the l pressure which will gradually increase with the progress of the grain, whereby the weakbroken first, the next weakest next, and so on. The same grain which breaks lengthwise at the pressures above stated, will not break crosswise-a thing which is detrimental and should be avoided if possible-until a much higher pressure, say an average of one hundred pounds to the square inch, is attained. There is, therefore, a large margin of safety between the two, which will permit variations of pressure for lengthwiseA breaking within limits that will thus break practically all of the breakable grains Without reaching the point where crosswise fracture will be apt to take place. During the course of this operation such fragments of grain as may from time to time be reduced to proper size should be separated out from the unredu'ced portion of the grain still under treatment, in order to prevent their further exposure to the breaking or reducing operationas explained in Patent No. 707 ,058 hereinbefore referred to.

The corn prior to the breaking operation is preliminarily moistened as set forth in said patent. To bring the corn to the best condition for hullingand degerming, it preferably is wetted or steamed until brought to such condition that if the hull be loosened at either end of the grain it may be readily peeled off. When in this condition the grain should be carried along slowly through a proper drier, or the like, to allow the `surplus moisture to be absorbed by the grain before the latter enters the machine or apparatus wherein it is broken. And as fast as the moisture is expelled or thrown off from the grain under treatment, I prefer to supply more moisture, also as' set forth in said patent.

To enable those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains to understand and practice my improvement I will now prooeed to describe more particularly the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, by reference to the accompanying diagram which illustrates the sequence of steps of the process, without attempting to show the mechanical details of the apparatuses employed.

The corn, after having been preliminarily moistened as above specied, is fed to a succession of compressor-breakers or breaker sections through which the grain passes in continuous and uninterrupted flow, and in e which the grain is subjected while thus moving to a breaking pressure which increases with the advance of the grain. In the diagram I have illustrated a series of three compresser-breaker sections arranged tandemthe pressure for section 1 being from four to ten pounds, for section 2 from ten to eighteen pounds, and for section 3 from eighteen to twenty-four pounds. These i'igures it will be understood are given arbitrarily and merely by way of illustration, and may be widely varied without departure om the spirit of my invention. The fragments of properly broken grain, as they are produced, together with correspondingly sized bits of germ and other bodies, are se arated out and carried off from the still unreduced portion of the charge, as indicated in the diagram, where screens for this purpose are represented as conterminous with the breakers.

The material which passes through the screens is conveyed to the apparatus in which it is to be further treated for the production of finished products, and the residue which does not pass through the screenstail stockH or HoifalH as it is termed-is discharged over the tail of the apparatus. I may here remark that by my invention I am enabled to make a saving in the volume of offal of between 14 and 15 per cent. over the best methods heretofore in use of which l date herewith, i beve muy illustrated end described an apparatus for degerming maize or Indian corn, adapted to break or reduce the grain by the application of pressure l increasing with the progress or travel of the grain in accordance What I claim and Patent is` The improvement in the process of de* with my improvement. desire to secure Letters germing maize or Indian corn, which consists in subjecting the previously moistened grain, while moving in breaking operation under com ression, and consequent concentration, which gradually increases with the progress of the grain, whereby during the travel of the charge the weakest grains will be broken'lirst, the next weakest neXt, and so on g and, during the course of this operation se arating out and carrying off, as they form, from the still unreduced portion of the charge such fragments of grain as may be reduced to proper size along with correspondingly sized bits of germs and' other bodies, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in presence oi' two witnesses. JOSEPH FRANKLIN GENT.

Witnesses:

PEARL CLIFFORD, MURIEL STUMP.

1902 or, preferably,

continuous How, to a 

